Chapter 35: Truth

February 15, 2683; 1410 Hours

Remnant, Menagerie

Cinder, not that she would ever outwardly show it, was terrified. As she stepped through the front door of the Belladonna household, the first person she saw was the ivory-haired Winter Schnee, still clad in her midnight-black MJOLNIR armor. She was leaned against the wooden wall, arms crossed. Her icy blue eyes stared Cinder down, analyzing every inch of her. "Ivan." She averted her gaze from Cinder, giving the SPARTAN next to her a curt nod.

"Winter…" Ivan began, stopping his stride to speak with her. "What's going on?"

"I've let everyone else know about the… new addition to the strike team." Winter explained, giving Cinder another sidelong glance. "The response was about what you'd expect."

Ivan nodded in understanding. "Alright… any word from Mistral?"

"Negative." Winter answered. "All quiet."

"Good." Ivan nodded. "Where is everyone else?"

"In the dining room." Winter nodded over her shoulder. "President's back in the study with Chieftain Belladonna."

"Explains the Snipers." Ivan shrugged.

Cinder didn't see any snipers on the way here… but she supposed that they wouldn't be very good snipers if they could be seen from the streets. She had seen what those UNSC sniper rifles could do firsthand… it wasn't pretty. How they managed to conceal themselves with such massive rifles was beyond her.

"C'mon." Ivan nodded for Cinder to follow him.

Cinder followed behind the SPARTAN, silently watching his body language. He seemed to relax around Winter. She had put two and two together the previous night. Try as Ivan might, Cinder could easily tell that he was romantically involved with the ivory-haired SPARTAN. It was in the way he talked with her, the way he walked around her, and the way that his voice seemed to slip into a more… human tone.

As she was led through a large entryway, she was greeted with the large, central dining room. She immediately felt all eyes in the room turn to glare at her. Ruby and Yang had a fiery look in their eye as they stared her down. Weiss kept a hand on the grip of Myrtenaster, her eyes burrowing through Cinder's very being. Blake had her hand wrapped around Yang's own organic one, amber eyes bearing down on her.

"Sit." Ivan ordered, making his way towards one of the two unoccupied ends of the table. Winter followed him, sitting down beside him. This left Cinder with an entire section of the table to herself. Wordlessly, she sat down, doing her best to appear confident despite the situation.

"This is bullshit, Ivan." Yang said, turning to the SPARTAN.

"Yeah!" Ruby agreed. "She's the enemy."

"I don't like it any more than you do." Ivan addressed everyone at the table. "But, like it or not, Cinder is useful."

"Useful or not, how do we know she won't betray us?" Weiss asked.

"Because Thorne gave us a bit of an insurance policy." Ivan answered coldly, resting his arms against the table. "Even if she did attempt to betray us, she wouldn't make it very far."

"What's stopping her?" Yang asked.

"An explosive in my head." Cinder answered, surprising everyone with her collected tone, despite the circumstance. "And I'd appreciate you all not talking about me like I'm not sitting right here."

"And I'd appreciate not getting my arm cut off." Yang fired back, her cybernetic limb wrenching into a fist.

"That wasn't my doing." Cinder retorted.

"But Beacon was." Blake fired back.

"Goddammit, enough!" Ivan declared, stopping everyone in their tracks. "Like it or not, we're all going to have to work together. None of us can afford being at each other's throats. I don't expect any of you to put this aside right away, but if this shit starts interfering with the mission, then we're going to have problems."

"So what, we're supposed to forget about what she did because she let Thorne put a bomb in her head?" Weiss demanded.

"No, you're supposed to watch her." Ivan answered. "Thorne placed her in our strike team because we can keep an eye on her. Like it or not, the intelligence she can provide will be crucial."

"Really?" Yang asked, eyebrow cocked.

"Yes." Cinder confidently replied. "I can tell you with relative certainty that Haven Academy will come under attack within the month. The Headmaster is working with Dr. Arthur Watts, one of Salem's other agents." Cinder allowed herself a satisfied smirk as everyone looked to her, stunned. "Among other things, Salem is working to find the Spring Maiden as well."

"And where would she be?" Ivan asked.

"In Mistral…" Cinder answered. "Her hope is that the attack on Haven draws her out."

"Well… This should be easier for us to respond to." Ivan sighed. "We have some advance warning this time. I'll forward this information to HIGHCOM. Is there anything else you can tell us?"

"I have something that… might help you all trust me." Cinder admitted, drawing everyone's gaze over to her. "Yang… I know where your mother is."

The entire table fell silent. Yang, naturally, was the first to speak. "What…?"

"I know where your mother is." Cinder repeated. "She's in Mistral… she's the leader of a small nomadic tribe. She's crossed Salem, and she's in danger."

"How did she cross Salem?" Yang asked, face hardened.

"She spoke with Thorne." Cinder answered easily.

"Bullshit." Yang responded.

"We'll see…" Ivan said, raising a hand to his ear. "Director Thorne, C-124."

"I read you, SPARTAN." Thorne answered, his voice coming over the communications after a short delay. "Is there a problem?"

"No sir, I need confirmation on something." Ivan answered. "Did you meet with Raven Branwen?"

For the first time that Ivan could remember, Thorne didn't have an immediate response. "I did…" He admitted. "Why?"

"Cinder believes that she is in danger. She's in Mistral, according to her." Ivan answered.

"Understood, SPARTAN." Thorne answered. "Once the President's off Menagerie, you're cleared to investigate once you return to Mistral. Was there anything else?"

"Yes, sir." Ivan answered again. "Haven Academy will be coming under attack soon, the Headmaster's working with Salem."

"I had my suspicions, I'll get agents to start monitoring him." Thorne responded easily. "I'll assign Robertson's team to the QRF and place our forces in Mistral on standby for the foreseeable future."

"That's all, sir." Ivan finished.

"Copy, Thorne out." Thorne cut the comms from his end.

XXXXX

February 18, 2683; 1741 Hours

Remnant, Mistral

Ivan watched Yang shift uncomfortably in her seat on the Pelican. They had scarcely been back in Mistral for more than a day before they all boarded a Pelican, heading to the last known location of a relatively large nomadic tribe in the wilderness of Mistral, not far from the village of Kuroyuri. Ruby and Weiss were strapped into the safety harnesses of the Pelican's passenger bay, watching everyone in silence. Blake's fingers were intertwined with Yang's own, rubbing a comforting circle on the back of the blonde's hand. Winter scanned a topographical map of the village, occasionally shooting a glance over to Cinder. Cinder was watching everyone curiously, hands gripping the metal harness keeping her strapped into the seat.

"You alright, Yang?" Ivan asked just as Blake rested her hand on Yang's leg.

"I don't know…" She answered, honestly.

"Colonel, we're two minutes out!" The pilot's voice came over the dropship's PA system. "SATCOM confirms that the village of Kuroyuri is abandoned."

"Land five hundred meters out." Ivan ordered. "Notify Idris Wing of the new LZ."

"Copy." The pilot responded.

"Ivan…" Ren's voice called out over the communicator network. "Why are we going here?"

"This is the last confirmed location of the tribal nomads." Ivan answered. "It's the best lead we have."

"Colonel!" The pilot called out again. "Unidentified Grimm near the LZ."

"What do you mean it's unidentified?" Ivan asked.

"It's… like a Horseman." The pilot explained.

"No…" Ren muttered, obviously not having turned his comms off.

"Ren, what is it?" Ivan asked.

"The Nuckelavee…" Ren half-whispered.

"Colonel, Idris-One's been hit!" The pilot shouted. "Right wing completely severed!"

"Set us down. Now!" Ivan shouted. The Pelican lurched beneath the passengers as it ducked down into a nearby clearing. As the rear door opened and the safety harnesses raised, Ivan heard a spine-chilling screeching, followed by the sound of snapping trees and the staccato of automatic gunfire. As the metallic restraints lifted, Ivan stood upright and pulled his BR-85 into his hands, storming out into the dense woods surrounding Kuroyuri.

Above him, a pair of Pelican Gunships fired a quick salvo of dumb-fire rockets, earning another screech. An instant later, a charcoal-black… arm speared through the reinforced glass of the lead gunship's cockpit, sending it into a flat spin and crashing into the ground below. "Holy shit!" Ivan shouted, following the elastic arm back to its origin. Indeed, Ren's name for the creature was in fact accurate. It appeared as a horseman, surrounded by the thin black wisps that many creatures of Grimm gave off. The 'man' half of its body appeared as a skinless human, bony horns protruding from its head. It had lifeless, glowing red eyes and moved with erratic twitching motions. Its vision snapped over to the landed dropship, its mouth opening to release another grating screech. "Move in!" Ivan shouted, sprinting forward and firing a burst from his rifle, Winter following close behind.

Team RWBY split up, with Ruby and Weiss darting off to the right while Blake and Yang sprinted off to the left. Cinder ran behind Ivan and Winter, a plume of orange flame rocketing out from her palm. Behind the SPARTANs, Fall Maiden, and Huntresses; Team JNPR and Team CFVY jumped from the back of a low-hovering Pelican, all of them sprinting forward to meet their comrades.

Cinder's flames struck the Grimm, causing it to stumble backwards. It rose back onto its equine legs, letting out another screech in defiance of Cinder's attack. "Ivan, we need to draw it into the village!" Cinder shouted, maintaining her attack. "We need to restrict its movement!"

"Force it back!" Ivan shouted into the Battle Net. At his command, a SPNKr rocket slammed into the side of the Grimm's equine half, causing it to stumble back again. A few Marines had survived the Idris-One's crash landing, and had moved up to assist them.

XXXXX

February 18, 2683; 1756 Hours

Remnant High Orbit, UNSC Light of Sol (Deck 01)

Thorne felt his body tense for the briefest moment as he stepped aboard Light of Sol. A shiver ran the length of his spine, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end as his boots met the metallic floor. There were a few crewmen milling about the hangar bay, tending to the various aircraft. He relished the… familiar feeling of the vessel for a moment before strolling through the massive hangar.

As he strolled through the winding halls of the vessel, the crew gave him salutes as he passed. He returned each and every one of them with practiced reflex. As he neared the center of the massive vessel, he was greeted by a familiar sight.

The large, metallic blast door before him was guarded by a pair of SPARTAN IVs in all-black HELLCAT-pattern armor, carrying their… newly reacquired Particle Rifles. The blocky, short rifle was forged from a gleaming steely-gray metal, its barrel embedded in the center of the blocky formation. "Director…" The left-most SPARTAN addressed Thorne, saluting.

"Major…" Thorne nodded. "I received the report, you said something new has been discovered?"

"Yes, sir." The Major nodded, lowering his arm. "Doctor Cade managed to decipher the information you recovered from the Core. Your access is required to unlock the rest."

Thorne nodded. "As you were." As the SPARTANs stepped aside, allowing their Director past, Thorne stepped up to the metal door. As he neared, the door slid open, revealing a technological marvel. With the re-activation of the vessel, this entire deck had been re-opened for access. The data vault of Light of Sol glowed a pale blue, dozens of databanks sprouting from the floor as Thorne entered.

Thorne approached one that was blinking from the pale blue to a bright red, pulling the sleeve of his coat up slightly and exposing his forearm. As he approached, the metallic surface shifted, coming to resemble a Human hand. Thorne placed his hand against the scanner, the metal plates quickly engulfing his hand.

The former SPARTAN took a deep breath, waiting for the ship's systems to recognize him. As the scanner confirmed his identity, it gave a satisfactory ping. "Clearance accepted." The synthesized tone of the data storage unit stated.

An instant later, the scanner released Thorne's hand, allowing it to fall back to his side. The data store split open, revealing the secrets stored within. Ancient maps of the Milky Way galaxy shimmered into view, labeled in various glyphs that only a select few truly understood. "Narrow search parameters to Charum Hakkor, active fleet assets." Thorne ordered. "Authorization code: 'You Are What You Dare'."

"Clearance accepted." The system acknowledged. "Narrowing search for active vessels of the Charum Hakkor fleet." Thorne watched as thousands of words blinked before his eyes, eventually settling on a list. "Search complete."

Thorne scanned the now-recovered data. Most of the vessels on this list were listed as "Lost with all hands", but two stood out. The first, Eternity's Gate, was completely ignored by the Director. He had that ship to thank for the HELLCAT armor and the Particle Rifles, after all. The second, a relatively new entry, was his focus. The vessel, known in this system as Erde Tyrene, was listed as a First-Rate Tuned Platform. The real kicker was its listing. It was listed as "Active".

"What is known about the Erde Tyrene?" Thorne asked.

"The Servitors aboard the First-Rate Tuned Platform, Erde Tyrene, fulfilled the Human Lord of Admirals' last directive in full." The Database declared, a small flicker of hope welling up in Thorne's chest. "The Servitors have confirmed the lack of Forerunner presence in the Path Kethona Dwarf Galaxy. Furthermore, the Servitors have confirmed the lack of the Shaping Sickness in this Dwarf Galaxy."

"What of its secondary objective?" Thorne asked.

"The second satellite galaxy, Path Meridius, yielded similar results." The Ancilla in charge of the database declared. "However, the continued presence of Precursor Relics has been confirmed. Due to the distance of this satellite galaxy, four hundred and ten parsecs from the rim of the Milky Way, it is quite likely that these artifacts have survived the deployment of the Halo Array."

Thorne nodded. "What is the projected timeframe of reaching this satellite galaxy with the current superluminal capabilities of the species?"

"This vessel could complete the journey, with the deployment of Probability Mirrors, from this location in eight months." The Ancilla answered. "Taking the specifications of the Infinity into account, the original pattern of this vessel could make the journey from Erde Tyrene in eleven standard months. However, due to the lack of deployable Probability Mirrors, this voyage would likely destroy the vessel. The Causal Reconciliation is simply too great for this vessel to handle without the supportive infrastructure."

"Were any planets discovered in this dwarf galaxy that would be suitable for Human life?" Thorne asked.

"Yes… one." The Ancilla responded. "Downloading the star charts for you now."

"Excellent." Thorne said, receiving the data on his neural implant. "I'm done here."

"Logging you out, IsoDidact." The Ancilla spoke one final time before returning to an inert state.

Thorne removed the glove from his hand, tucking it into his coat. The glove was laced with flash-cloned cells sustained in a Biofoam mixture. "Thanks, John…" Thorne muttered to himself, turning to leave.

XXXXX

February 18, 2683; 1801 Hours

Remnant, Mistral

"Pin its arms!" Ruby shouted out, deftly dodging a strike from the Nuckelavee with her Semblance.

"Nora! Pyrrha!" Ivan shouted, emptying his magazine into the Grimm's equine half, sliding a new one into the rear of the Battle Rifle.

"On it!" Nora shouted in return.

Cinder had completely eviscerated its legs, rendering it completely immobile. Even then, this Grimm was proving a threat unlike anything they had encountered before. It had a seemingly limitless endurance, taking multiple direct hits from both HE and HEAT warheads. Entire chunks of its body were missing, yet it kept on fighting.

Pyrrha deftly leapt over the incoming arm that was bearing down on her, bringing her spear down through the thin, elongated flesh and burying the tip of her spear into the stone ground below. Nora did the same, launching herself over the attacking appendage and bringing her hammer down on its clawed hand, burying it beneath its weight in an impact crater.

The creature fell to its equine knees with a pained screech, the noise deafening over the staccato of gunfire from the nearby Marines. The Assault Rifles, Battle Rifles, and Railgun slugs kept pouring into its body, steadily chipping away. Ivan couldn't help but be amazed as he watched Ren rocket forward, speed that he had never seen the quiet young man achieve before allowing him to cross the distance between him and the Grimm almost instantly. In a blur, he dug the blades of his machine pistols into the creature's neck, and ripped outwards in separate directions. A spray of black mist nearly engulfed Ren, the Grimm slumping over a moment later, head hanging on by a thin layer of flesh. Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief as they watched the telltale signs of Grimm death, the Nuckleavee began disintegrating before their very eyes.

Everyone around the decomposing corpse was panting, trying desperately to take in the breath their bodies needed. They had spent the better part of half an hour whittling this creature down. Ivan watched as the dozens of arrows, spears, and swords that were embedded in the creature's flesh clattered to the ground, the only reminder of its existence.

Ivan huffed, letting his grip on his Battle Rifle slack a bit. He opened a comms channel to the airbase. "Vorbeck Airfield, this is SPARTAN C-124 requesting immediate Medevac for wounded at my current location."

"Acknowledged, Colonel." The Captain responded. "Pelicans en-route, ETA: fifteen minutes."

As Ivan pulled himself back into the present, he looked over to find Ren kneeling down and picking up one of the arrows. It was corroded from decades of exposure, but certainly seemed stylized. Ren delicately held the arrow in his hands, staring down at it. Nora was standing next to him, hand on his shoulder.

He simply sighed, looking over to the Marines that had split up into two groups. Half of the remaining ten Marines had gone back to tend to the wounded, while the five other had begun walking towards the group of Huntsmen. "Fucking hell…" Ivan muttered, placing his Battle Rifle back on the magnetic strip on his back. He shot a glance over to Cinder, who was standing a few meters away with a semi-interested look on her face. She dared not do anything other than stand there.

"What is it?" Winter asked, walking over to Ivan. She had noticed a slight spike in his heartbeat, and a small adrenaline dump.

"I just…" Ivan thought of the proper phrase. "You know the buildup of static electricity that happens when a Slipspace drive is charging?"

"Yeah…" Winter nodded, confused.

"I just felt it…" Ivan muttered, looking around. "I know I always 'feel' a nearby Slipspace jump, but this was way more intense… almost like it was closer." He suddenly felt a strange, almost familiar sensation. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and he heard the faintest whisper in the back of his mind. "Behind."

Without a moment's hesitation, Ivan wheeled around, raising his rifle again and scanning the nearby ridgeline. At the same time, he activated his helmet's thermal optics. Much to his surprise, he saw a collection of thermal signatures standing near the edge of the ridge, attempting to conceal themselves in the treeline. All of them were human in shape. "Contact at my Twelve!" Ivan shouted.

Instantly, everyone around him wheeled to face the elevated ridgeline, weapons raised. One of the five Marines, who was carrying a DMR, shouted out. "Grimm masks!"

Just as the Marine shouted out, the six figures that were standing in the trees quickly became twenty as more stepped into view and stood upright. "Hold fire!" Ivan shouted. He couldn't shake the feeling that if they were hostile to them, they would have already opened fire. He certainly hoped that he was right.

Almost as if the figures had known their intentions from the start, one of them slid down the sheer ridgeline, falling to his feet with a heavy thud. He began approaching the large group of Huntsmen and UNSC soldiers, a practiced confidence in his stride. As Ivan flicked off his thermal imaging, he saw that the man was dressed in a strange, all-black set of clothes that looked almost like robes. He carried an expertly crafted shortsword at his hip and a plate metal shield on his back. He was indeed wearing a Grimm mask, but it was… different than the White Fang's. It was more angular, looking almost like a Nevermore.

"You've defeated the Forest Guardian… impressive." He commented, walking towards the Huntsmen and Soldiers, despite the fact that many of them were still aiming their weapons at him.

"Stand down." Ivan declared, lowering his rifle.

"Thank you." The masked figure said, bowing his head slightly. "My apologies for the sudden appearance, but we did not know your intentions. It would be foolish of us to assume you would be passive to us. We have had very limited contact with you off-worlders, after all. Might I ask why you are here?"

"We're looking for someone." Ivan answered, the pieces falling into place. The masked figure cocked his head in a questioning gesture, prompting Ivan to elaborate. "Raven Branwen."

The masked figure seemed to straighten up a bit. "The fact you know our leader's name would be cause for concern under normal circumstances. However…" He looked over to the sheer number of Huntsmen, joined by two SPARTANs and a small platoon of Marines. "This is far from a normal circumstance." Ivan glanced over to Yang, who was listening with interest. "We can bring you to our camp."

"Excellent." Ivan nodded. "Marines, regroup at the crash sites and await for Medevac." Ivan ordered.

"Copy, Colonel." The Marines Sergeant nodded, giving a salute before turning back towards the forest with his men.

"Shall we be off?" The masked tribesman asked.

XXXXX

February 18, 2683; 1859 Hours

Remnant, Mistral

"SPARTAN, ODSTs are on standby in case this goes hot." Thorne's voice crackled over Ivan's communicator. He had taken care to secure the channel, and cut off his helmet's external speakers to ensure that his discussion with Thorne remained private. JNPR and CFVY had offered to stay behind with the Marines to keep them safe in the event that Grimm attacked the crash site. Deep down, Ivan knew that it was because this mission had a very personal importance to Yang, and they didn't think that it was their place to be there. Now, they were trekking through the dense forests, following behind the group of tribesmen that were leading them.

"What do we know about them, Thorne?" Ivan asked, keeping an eye on his motion tracker.

"They're a nomadic tribe that's been responsible for various attacks on caravans and small villages outside Mistral's walls." Thorne answered. "They're the same bandits that attacked the village a few klicks out from Vorbeck, and vanished before we could get forces there. I've spoken with Raven, but I have no idea how her tribe operates when it comes to outsiders. Be on your guard."

"Copy, Thorne. C-124, out." Ivan answered, Thorne cutting the comms off a moment later. Ivan silently re-activated his helmet's vocal systems. Ivan looked around to the six that were still with him. Winter was still the picture of stoicism, walking alongside Ivan with her weapon in a low-ready. Cinder was silently prowling alongside Ivan, daring not to leave his sight. She seemed slightly tense, but that seemed to be her resting state lately. Ruby was walking along, occasionally glancing over to her sister. Weiss was walking alongside Ruby, occasionally whispering to her slightly taller partner. Blake was silently striding through the forest, one hand hovering over her weapon, and the other occasionally reaching out to comfort her girlfriend. Yang was a completely different story.

Ivan had been around Team RWBY long enough to know their… personal tells. Yang was very rarely ever tense, and almost constantly upbeat and energetic. Now, though… she was tense. Her cybernetic hand flexed and relaxed unconsciously, only staying relaxed when Blake reached out to grasp her metallic hand. Ivan could only see half of Yang's face, but he could tell that she was lost in thought, considering everything that had been thrown her way over the past few hours.

"We are here." The masked tribesman that had spoken with them earlier announced, leading them into a large clearing by a mountainside.

Everyone stepped into the clearing, looking around. The camp appeared small, but appearances were, in fact, deceiving. There was a small collection of a dozen tents resting in a half-circle around the entrance to a large cave, flickering lights within making the presence of more tribesmen known. There were dozens of unmasked tribesmen wearing similar attire to those that had led the group through the forest all milling about the area. Some were skinning animals to prepare them for cooking, some were training and sparring, and others were simply sitting around.

All eyes in the camp turned to look at the new arrivals and their escort party. They all seemed rather surprised to see five young women, armed with weapons that Huntsmen would carry, joined by a pair of UNSC SPARTANs. The tribesmen that escorted them through the forest removed their masks and placed them on their belts. They all looked just like Ivan expected: wild. Unkempt hair, scars, and perceptive eyes honed from a lifetime as nomadic hunters and raiders. "It is customary to remove your facial coverings in the camp." The leader of the escort group said, turning to face the SPARTANs and gaze at them with golden eyes.

Ivan and Winter both reached up and de-pressurized their helmets, pulling them off of their heads and tucking them into the crook of their arm. Their clean-cut, militaristic appearances contrasted heavily with the wild appearance of the tribe, and they stuck out even more than they did in the civilian world.

Ivan watched as a murmur ran over the spectating tribesmen.

"So they are human…"

"They're so tall…"

"Do you see that shimmering around them…?"

Ivan simply passed it off as the same general reaction that most of the Remnant natives had when they first saw a SPARTAN in the armor.

Ivan watched a lone figure step out of the cave, and gracefully stride past the small collection of tents surrounding it. Ivan could have sworn that he was looking at an older, black-haired, red-eyed clone of Yang. The woman looked nearly identical to the blonde, and it seemed that Yang had noticed that too. Ivan heard Yang's breath hitch for the slightest moment. Yang knew it just as well as Ivan did… she was looking at her mother.

"Markus, is there a reason you've brought these-" Raven stopped dead in her tracks as she looked into those lavender eyes that she could never have forgotten. "By Oum…"

"Mom…?" Yang asked, taking a tentative step forward.

"Yang…" Raven muttered, taking her own step forward. "What are you doing here? And why is Cinder with you?"

"Cinder's with us now…" Yang lamented, glancing back to the woman in question for a moment. "We're here to find you."

Ivan watched the mother and daughter exchange happen with mixed feelings. On one hand, he was happy to see Yang with her mother. On the other hand… he had a personal disdain for Raven. She was a criminal, preying on the villages in the area. Stealing, killing, razing villages to the ground… Under normal circumstances, she'd likely be his enemy right now. He kept his expression decidedly neutral.

"Come with me… no sense in standing around." Raven offered, motioning for everyone to follow. "And there's no need for your weapons, you're safe here."

"We will be keeping our weapons." Ivan deadpanned, nodding to Winter before locking eyes with Raven.

"Is there a problem, SPARTAN?" She asked, looking to Ivan.

"None at all." Ivan answered, hiding his distrust behind a diplomatic tone. "I'd simply feel more… comfortable with my rifle on me."

"Is the star warrior afraid of us?" Markus asked with a sarcastic smirk.

"That's not an assumption you want to make, Markus." Raven cracked the faintest smile, nearly invisible. "I've seen what they're capable of. You can keep your weapons."

XXXXX

February 18, 2683; 1832 Hours

Remnant, Mistral (Tribal Camp)

"Why…?" Yang asked, her voice giving way for the slightest moment. Everyone had stood around the inside of a tent for the past few minutes in complete, uncomfortable silence.

"I-I'm afraid I can't answer that." Raven answered, earning a humorless scoff from Yang.

"No… Why did you leave us for this?" Yang asked, gesturing around. "And for Salem?"

"I-" Raven was cut off by her own daughter, whose irises faded into that menacing, fiery red.

"You were always there." Yang stated, simply. "You… You watch me for a few minutes then run off back here? More than that, you talked with Thorne before you met your own daughter?!" Yang shouted. "What have you even been doing? Was it you? Did you burn Shion to the ground?!"

"We couldn't have known the Grimm would come as quickly as they did…" Raven attempted, only to be cut off again.

"Bullshit!" Yang shouted, taking a step forward as her hands trembled in anger. The faintest wisps of her Semblance began flaring up. "You raided a small village, leaving it defenseless before you cut and ran!" Yang spat her words out, almost like they left a bad taste in her mouth. "You knew all-too fucking well that the Grimm would come crashing down on them!" Yang's teeth were clenched down, face locked in a scowl.

"It's not that simple!" Raven shouted in return, catching Yang off-guard. "This tribe raised me, and Qrow! I couldn't abandon them! They were dying!"

"So that's what it is?" Yang asked, her rhetorical question laden with disgust. "Steal from and kill the weak, to survive? Are you even my mother?"

"Of course I'm your mother." Raven answered, the meaning of the question either lost on her, or more likely, she simply refused to acknowledge them actual meaning behind Yang's question.

"Are you sure?" Yang asked, sarcasm heavy in her voice. "You were barely there, then you run off to help the enemy, leaving Dad and I?"

"I was with Salem because Ozpin needed me to be!" Raven shouted. "After Cinder left, I took my chances and left!"

"So you ran from Salem, met with Thorne, then started terrorizing innocent people?" Yang asked, giving a humorless laugh. "Summer was a better mom than you'd ever be, and she wasn't even my actual mom. You were too busy hiding. You're my family by blood, but Ruby, Dad, Qrow, Blake, and Ivan are my actual family. We came here to warn you, to try and save you… now I'm not even sure I want to."

Ivan could tell that Raven was hurt by Yang's words. She wasn't outwardly showing it on her face, but her stance slackened a bit, and she lost the angered look. Now it was simply neutral. "Do you really think you can stop Salem?" Raven asked. "Even with their help…" Raven nodded to the two SPARTANs. "You won't be able to stop her."

"Wouldn't be the first God the UNSC's killed." Ivan deadpanned, crossing his arms.

"I've been to Earth, Raven." Yang said, crossing her own arms. Raven's expression hardened again, seeing that Yang used her first name as opposed to calling her 'mom'. "If anyone can stop her, it's them. You think the Great War here was bad? They lost billions of people in just twenty years, and they're stronger for it. And I've completely lost my mother, and now I'll be stronger for it."

Ivan couldn't shake the feeling that he'd literally just watched Raven swallow her pride. Her voice cracked for the slightest moment, but he noticed it. He could feel that Yang noticed it too. "I'm sorry…" She managed. "I should have known better than to think you'd be fine with a normal life… you were always destined for this."

"What do you mean?" Yang asked, cybernetic unconsciously flexing.

"I… I thought that by leaving you'd go down a different path; lead a normal life, away from all of this." She gestured around. "I'm sorry… I should have at least had the decency to know my own daughter. And you'll always be my daughter, Yang… Now that you're here… I want to try and be your mother again."

Yang seemed to… soften a bit. Her hand stopped clenching and unclenching, and her eyes returned to their normal lilac color. "Prove it." Yang said, flatly.

"What do you mean?" Raven asked.

"Help me…" Yang answered. "Better yet, help us." She nodded back to her friends… and Cinder. "We need to at least slow Salem down… we need to know where the Spring Maiden is."

"It's not the Maidens you should be finding… you need to find the Relics." Raven admitted.

"Excuse me?" Yang asked, confused. "Relics?"

"There's… a lot of superstition on Remnant. Most of it's just that, but some of it… well, some of it's real." Raven answered. "The two Brothers?"

Ivan had spent enough time brushing up on Remnant's history and philosophies during his time at Beacon to know the fable that Raven was referencing. Suddenly, all of the pieces started falling into place. "Seems like Salem isn't the only Precursor that took an interest in Remnant…" He noted. "Where are these relics?"

"You've been closer to one than you think." Raven answered. "Ozpin's cane. That's what Salem is after, not just the Maidens."

"Son of a bitch..." Ivan muttered. "He painted a target on Beacon's back from day one. Do you have any leads on the others?"

"If Cinder's right, and Watts has Haven's headmaster on his side… then one's very nearly in Salem's hands." Raven answered. "As for the others… there are four Huntsmen academies, aren't there?"

Ivan nodded grimly. He looked to Winter, who shared his solemn look. "Winter, inform Thorne. Recommend ONISEC deployment to Atlas and Shade."

Winter nodded, throwing on her helmet and stepping outside, connecting with Thorne over the Battlenet as she moved.

"What about Haven?" Yang asked, asking the question that everyone had in mind.

"We'll be handling that." Ivan answered. "Thank you." He nodded to Raven

"Where will you be going now?" Raven asked.

"Back to Vorbeck Airfield." Ivan answered. "There's matters I need to see to on-base."

"I'll come with you…" Raven stated. "I'd like to… speak with Thorne again."

Ivan nodded, reaching up to his ear and pressing the button on the side of his Commlink. "Captain, this is SPARTAN C-124, requesting Pelican transport at my location."

XXXXX

February 18, 2683; 1941 Hours

Remnant, Mistral

"Absolutely not." Thorne shook his head, his holographic image mirroring his actions. "You all have been going non-stop since Menagerie."

"We can handle it, Thorne." Ruby defended, causing the Director to turn and face her.

"I know you can handle it, but there are… other things to consider beyond simply arresting Lionheart." Thorne responded. "This needs to be done quietly. Remnant's already unstable after Vale, and storming Haven with ONISEC and SPARTANs is only going to build more resentment. You all need to rest. I'll handle this one… quietly." Thorne paused. "After all… making people disappear is what we do."

"Understood, Director." Ivan answered, hoping to prevent someone else from prolonging this any more than it needed to be.

"Good." Thorne gave an approving nod. "And Raven… I'll be groundside in six hours, we can talk then." With that, Thorne cut the comms from his end, leaving the rear of the Pelican missing the pale blue light of the projector.

"So what, we just sit around now?" Yang asked, obviously taken aback by Thorne directly ordering them to stay out of this for now.

"From the looks of it, yes." Ivan answered, collecting the small projector from the floor of the Pelican and slotting it back into his armor's carrier rig. "There's still work for us to do, though. We need to find Taurus."

Cinder remained steadfast as every set of eyes in the Pelican turned to her. "Taurus' group is nomadic, they don't stay in one location for long. The last time I met with him personally was on a rooftop in Vale, just after Torchwick's attempted train bombing. Before that, it was Forever Fall."

"I'll get in touch with Sun and Neptune, see what they've dug up in Vacuo." Ivan added. "If that doesn't pan out, we'll have the interrogation transcripts from ONISEC's meeting with the two Fox Faunus in Menagerie soon."

Everyone felt the heavy clank of the Pelican setting down on tarmac, and the pneumatic hissing of the rear door opening flooded the crew compartment. As everyone stood, they were greeted by the sight of Vorbeck Airfield, still undergoing repairs from the still-fresh attack just a few days prior. Trees surrounding the northern end of the airfield were still flattened from the low-yield MAC strike, scorch marks still covered the ground, and the occasional foxhole was still present on the perimeter, but much of the major damage was repaired. In the distance, the Engineer Corps was still working to repair the defensive gun batteries on the eastern end of the base.

"Colonel!" The Marine Engineer awaiting him on the landing pad saluted, his heels clicking together. "Engineers finished with your residence earlier today, and they've made adjustments to make it more… accommodating for your team."

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Ivan returned the salute, allowing the Marine to stand back at ease. "Reports on the defense systems I recommended?"

"Shipments arrived from Reach yesterday, sir." The Lieutenant answered. "We've linked them to the Battlenet, and they're ready for deployment."

"Excellent, you can return to your post, Lieutenant."

With another salute, the Marine turned on a heel and headed down the landing pad's ramp and began walking off towards a group of Engineers that were working on laying down tarmac over a damaged portion of Runway 3.

"What new defense system did you request?" Winter asked, falling into step beside Ivan as they all began walking towards the housing area.

"Sinoviet's new drones." Ivan answered. "Similar to Atlesian Knights, but they're more… fit for combat on a modern battlefield."

"The UNSC's using drone soldiers now?" Blake asked.

"We're field-testing them now. I doubt we'll be replacing the Army or Marines with them, but they're useful for peacekeeping." Ivan answered.

As they approached the rather large officer's prefab that they had called home for the past few months, Ivan typed away at his datapad. After he cleared up a few details with the Base Commander, he craned his neck over to Raven. "Raven, the Base Commander's given you a temporary residence in the Officer's Quarters." Ivan pulled a small chip from his datapad, holding it out to Raven has he walked. "You'll have limited access to the Base's facilities for your stay here. If you head over to the Command Building, the Captain can get you situated." He thumbed a gesture over to the large, metal building sitting off to the right of the nearby hangars that housed Broadsword fighters.

"Thank you." Raven nodded, her voice strangely sincere. She separated from the group, heading off towards the Command Building.